Atoms emit electrons when a material is irradiated with light at a sufficiently high frequency. Previously, physics had assumed that the motion of these photoelectrons is determined by the properties of the material. In a new study, physicists at Bielefeld University have shown that it is the interplay of the electrons within the atom that is decisive. ‘Dancing’ electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom and require more time than other electrons that shoot out in straight lines. The Bielefeld researchers are the first in the world to confirm the existence of this delay mechanism in a solid. The study has been published this Friday (22.09.17) in the scientific journal ‘Science’.[Weiterlesen]